Hubert B., former director of the Purchasing Office of the Government Agency of Strategic Reserves, heard three charges and provided “extensive explanations”. The court decided to temporarily arrest him for three months. This is the fifth person to be charged in this case.
“CBA agents detained today in Warsaw Hubert B., former director of the Purchasing Office of the Government Agency of Strategic Reserves, who was responsible for the Agency's purchasing policy. The man will be brought to the prosecutor's office. The investigation is supervised by the branch department of the National Prosecutor's Office in Katowice,” he said on Wednesday, October 9 , social media spokesman Ministry of Interior and Administration Jacek Dobrzyński.
Dobrzyński said in an interview with “Fakty” TVN that Hubert B. was detained today at his place of residence. – The agents later carried out procedural activities with him. It is precisely about securing documents, securing things and electronic media. Then he will be taken to the National Prosecutor's Office, Branch Department in Katowice – he said.
– The investigation concerns a quite serious case of abuse of powers and failure to fulfill duties at the Government Agency of Strategic Reserves. It is common knowledge that there are some irregularities there. The fact is that this is not the first person and certainly not the last person detained in this case, he added.
The prosecutor from the Silesian Branch of the Department for Organized Crime and Corruption of the National Prosecutor's Office in Katowice introduced Hubert B. three charges.
First concerns participation in the period from April 2020 to March 2022 in an organized criminal group (Article 258 § 1 of the Penal Code)
Second concerns making a promise to an identified person to provide a financial benefit “in order to induce that person to violate the provisions of the law and exceed his powers by exerting unlawful influence on the course of purchasing proceedings conducted at the Government Agency of Strategic Reserves” (Article 229 § 3 of the Penal Code).
Third the accusation, however, concerns the abuse of powers in the period from April 2020 to September 2021 in such a way that – as the prosecutor's office informs in a statement – “he ordered other employees of the Material Reserves Agency to select offers submitted by specific economic entities and then conclude contracts for the supply of goods with the above-mentioned entities, regardless of the specifications of the offers they submitted, and even despite the fact that these entities did not have the experience and economic and technical potential to deliver gloves, surgical masks and other equipment ordered by the Material Reserves Agency (Article 231 § 2 of the Penal Code). )”.
Hubert B. stayed heard as a suspect and provided extensive explanations.
– On Thursday, the Katowice-Wschód District Court agreed to the request of the national prosecutor's office and arrested Hubert B, former director of the purchasing office of the material reserves agency, for three months – informed TVN24, spokesman for the National Prosecutor's Office, prosecutor Przemysław Nowak.
Investigation into irregularities at RARS
The investigation into irregularities in RARS was initiated on December 1, 2023. It concerns, among others: exceeding the powers and failure to fulfill duties by RARS employees when organizing and implementing the purchase of goods, and thus acting to the detriment of the public interest from February 23, 2021 to November 27, 2023 in Warsaw in order to obtain a financial benefit. The prosecutor has brought charges against a total of five people. They concern participation in an organized criminal group, abuse of powers by public officials and, in the case of one of the suspects, money laundering.
The basis for initiating the investigation was the information collected by CBA classified materials and two notifications on suspicion of committing a crime submitted by the General Inspector of Financial Information (GIFI). At a later stage of the investigation, the GIFI submitted two further notifications on suspicion of money laundering.
On Tuesday the court did not accept the application for a safe conduct for businessman Paweł Szopa, a suspect in the investigation into irregularities at RARS. An Interpol red notice was issued on Thursday. The decision is invalid. This is not the only application for the issuance of a safe conduct in these proceedings. Last Tuesday, the District Court in Warsaw did not accept such a request against the former head of RARS, Michał K. (he did not agree to disclose his data and image).
In July, the prosecutor's office brought charges against two other people in the RARS case: the director of the purchasing office of the Government Agency of Strategic Reserves, Justyna G., and the manager of this office, Joanna P. These charges concern the abuse of powers in connection with the performance of public functions, which allegedly involved preferential treatment of certain contractors RARS in connection with the implementation of an EU grant in the amount of EUR 114 million for the supply of power generators for Ukraine.
Main photo source: PAP